This is a brief article to promote the free pdf guide to weaving tools. I thought that the article, though I really recommend the PDF as well, was thought provoking.

The author, Interweave Editorial Staff, I guess they know who wrote it, begins with an interaction they had with a very enthusiastic “Earth-Mother” Type. *I like to think of them as the Simplicities.* Those that eschew any tools that are above the bare bones basic. Those that say “I didn’t buy a Niddy Noddy, I just use my foot.” Or “I’ll never buy a wheel, why waste the money when I can just spin with a stick.” Or, “There isn’t any need to buy a big loom, I can do anything I need with Backstrap Weaving!” (Okay, the last is an exaggeration but you get the idea.) *

So the author is being lectured about how tools can be very simple and don’t have to be complicated, then they ask the killer question. Why? Why would you want to stick with the simple tools when there are more sophisticated tools out there? *Not that we should all go out and buy a Golding Loom, though that would be pretty neat.* If there are tools out there that help you be a better crafter, and let you get the results you need, then take advantage of them.

*If you have foot, ankle, knee, joint issues, and want to spin then either a drop spindle or an electric wheel might be better for you. If you have rotary cuff problems then you probably don’t want to mess with a drop or supported spindle too much but a nice wheel or electric wheel might do the trick. For weaving, if you have knee, etc. problems then a floor loom with treadles that you have to push down might not be the thing for you, a table loom where you can just flick a switch and the shafts respond might work. If you have shoulder issues then a backstrap, inkle, or perhaps rigid heddle loom might do you more good than a table or floor loom. (I”m not an expert, this is just some advice, for more information contact a guild, health professional, or support group.)

If you just HAVE to try everything in existence out, (and can afford it) then go for it. Honestly you don’t know if something works for you unless you try it out.*

This synopsis is almost longer than the article. But, in conclusion, don’t let anyone shame you. There is NO Cheating in crafting. Even if you haven’t shorn the sheep, washed, processed, and dyed the wool, then spun it, finished it, wove it, cut the cloth, and sewn the shirt, your project is still handmade no matter which step you started your process on and no matter what tools you had to utilize.

This is a great article, though I found the title a little misleading. I read it as “3 things you HAVE to knit with handspun” what the title really means is “Three things that enable you to knit with handspun”. Instead of project suggestions as I thought it is tips to allow you to use your handspun in patterns by discovering how much you have as it relates to the amount needed for a given project. I am very glad that I read it, though now I want suggestions, LOL.

There are a lot of resources out there for learning how best to use a drum carder, these past three articles are a great resource for introducing a lot of the concepts involved in drum carding. This blog is probably a good one to follow also.

With this article, I especially liked the tip where the author says to hand card some of your smaller bits of fiber first to spread it out a bit more. I had never thought of that before, but it makes perfect sense to keep things thin and even.

I had a similar experience recently with a beautiful hand dyed top I picked up from a local dyer. I wanted to create a striped batt by separating out the yellow from orange from red. The colors blended a bit more than I thought I wanted, but the end result is two fantastic batts, with sparkle (I like sparkle so I added sparkle), that I plan on spinning separately and then plying together. As soon as I am done enjoying the fluffiness that is their batt form.

I love the newsletters I get from Strauch Fiber Equipment. They always lead me to such wonderful places. In this case the article points out, in a very quick way, a method of adding in extra materials into a batt, that goes through a drum carder, without getting extra things stuck in the drum carder. Great article!

If you weave, read this article. If you don’t weave but you’re thinking about weaving, read this article. If you know someone who weaves, read this article.

I enjoy articles that explain why things are the way they are. I know that it is important to have a tight tension on your warp, it never really occured to me Why I needed a tight tension on my warp. Or that my tension wasn’t tight enough and that is why I have all of those sagging threads when I’m trying to weave.

This is a great article that sums up the tension between a rigid heddle loom and a multi shaft floor loom. I think that there are more considerations, regarding floor space and time constraints, but this does sum up most of the issue. Rigid heddle looms do have a lot more versatility to them than they appear to at first. If I’m honest I should spend a lot more time with my rigid heddle loom learning all of the neat tricks it is capable of. I’ve got to make a lace scarf at some point using some of the techniques available to me. Maybe that will be one of my next projects!